Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

Miles/Tank

Originally Posted by DonTom

You cannot always find a gas station where you need one. But out in the boonies, when far from all services, the other problem usually isn't much of an issue-Don- SSF, CA

I agree with you - I take some routes through Kansas and Colorado where the gas stations are sparse and you can not even depend on them to be open. I don't like to have to be tied to a specific route based on the spacing of the gas stations.

Taking breaks has nothing to do with this. Ever have to ride 20 miles out of the way to get to a gas station, but you really wanted to go the opposite direction where the next gas station is 150 miles? I usually prefer the roads away from the major freeways and there are MANY routes in the USA today that are 100's of miles between gas stations, even more sometimes if you ride at night.

There might not be a gas station where I need it, but I can take a break every 20 minutes on the route if I want to.

IMO, miles per tank is very important, at least to me. If you only ride from one town to the next, it usually isn't much of an issue, but even then there are a few rare exceptions.

I remember in 73 when the smaller toaster tank came out. I was so happy I bought my BMW in 1971, when they claimed it was 6.3 gallons. But later, I discovered BMW lied, as every cycle manufacturer did back in those days about almost everything. My 71 BMW stock gas tank is 5.8 gallons, but all their books, advertisements and service & owner's manuals claim it's 6.3 gallons. It's impossible to get even 6.0 gallons in it even if bone dry. But it was still the largest tank out there back in those days.

Prior to that, I ran out of gas several times on a Honda CL350 that I used to own. Ever since those days, gas tank size has been the very first thing I check into on a new bike.

The only reason I bought my 84 Yamaha Venture (5.3 gallon tank) was because I got a special deal on it where I saved $2,000.00. Or else I would have bought a bike with a larger tank.

It seems BMW now has the largest tanks out there, so I am checking into BMW's first again.

Seems BMW has really changed since 71. Back then they were low tech compared to most other bikes and only had a few models. Now, it seems to be the opposite. But back then as well as now, they have large fuel tanks, with the exception of the toaster tank in 73 or so. I would not consider BMW in 73 for that reason alone, if I were looking for a new bike then.

The GTL, according to the specs, has a half gallon larger tank than the GL. So 40 times 7=280 miles, seems like quite a reasonable range. But the more the better, but there are some other things to consider too.

That was the case when the bike was first announced but then they went with the same tank on both models. All K1600GTs have the same tank capacity now as the GTL.

To the folks that say that I haven't "learned to ride my bike right" because I'm getting poor gas mileage - I could say the same thing because you are. Neither would be correct though. I don't ride a motorcycle because it's an efficient way to get from one place to another. I ride because it's written in my DNA that I have to turn gasoline into fun and it's something I've been doing for nearly 4 decades. Fun to me means wearing the tires out on the edges first with tread left in the middle seeking out twisty roads and indulging in the intoxicating power of my K16 engine. Tires and gas are to be sacrificed and the greater the quantity the greater the fun.

I would never say though that you're not riding your bike property if you're not doing that as well. There's enough room on the road for commuter bikes and dinner runs with granny on the back. Nothing wrong with that and if high mileage numbers make you smile then pump up on those hard rubber tires and set it to rain mode and enjoy!

My brother's '06 RT consistently gets 45-47 mpg at touring, ie, 85 mph speeds. My GS, I have to be looking for a gas station at that speed at around 150 miles. He fills up every other time that I do.

The RT slips through the air a lot easier than the GS. When you add things like flat Zega panniers to the GS as I have done it makes it even worse.

That said, my gas mileage depends mostly on my right wrist. As I normally ride I get about 42-43 MPG. There have been times where I got 50 MPG... usually when following a friend who rides maybe 10 MPH slower than my typical pace. I've also got as low as 34 MPG fighting a head wind while running through the desert about 10 MPH higher than my usual pace.

GSA wins

because it never even enters my mind that I might not make it to a gas station. I'm not riding through Mongolia but I do ride in Oregon/Washington. If you want some data, I have never reset my fuel consumption computer since new and it shows I average 45 mpg with panniers and top box. That works out to about 392 miles per 8.7 gallon fill up. I do worry that my gasohol might go bad before I can burn the whole tank though.

because it never even enters my mind that I might not make it to a gas station. I'm not riding through Mongolia but I do ride in Oregon/Washington. If you want some data, I have never reset my fuel consumption computer since new and it shows I average 45 mpg with panniers and top box. That works out to about 392 miles per 8.7 gallon fill up. I do worry that my gasohol might go bad before I can burn the whole tank though.

Morris Kreumke never woried about running out on his custom Goldwing either. He once rode from the US border crossing at Laredo, Texas to the Canadian Customs station north of Minnesota without stopping or putting his feet down. He had 41 gallon capacity if I recall correctly. Some called it a stunt. He called it an adventure.

The reality also is that there are vast portions of the western plains that are very unlike Washington and Oregon. It is easy to go 100 miles without encountering a gas station if riding on two-lane roads. Sundays, or nights can multiply those distances.

Most places, you can live with the range of stock BMWs if you gas early and often. There are spots where it is likely that if you ride past an open station at 100 miles on the tank you might not make it to the next reliably open station. If you gas at Alpine, Texas and pass on Sanderson at 90 miles you will be at 215 when you hit Del Rio. That might be a problem.

Paul Glaves - "Big Bend", Texas U.S.A
"The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution." - Bertrand Russellhttp://web.bigbend.net/~glaves/